Pacific Symphony Blog

Gustav Mahler had only just finished his First Symphony in 1888 when he began his next massive undertaking. He started his Second Symphony, which would later become his “Resurrection Symphony,” with the first movement, Todtenfeier, or Funeral Ceremony. After some harsh criticism in 1891 from Hans von Bülow, a great conductor and champion of new music, Mahler, whose time was consumed by the Hamburg Opera, took a break from the Symphony No. 2. He didn’t touch the work again until 1893, when he made leaps and bounds of progress in writing the symphony until he came to a roadblock in writing the finale . Read more to discover how Mahler found the inspiration to complete the work.

There are 5 movements in this enormous symphony. Let’s break it down into 5 emotional elements:

1. A Cry of Despair

“Resurrection” begins with a deeply solemn expression of grief and despair. Todtenfeier, Movement I (Allegro maestoso) is a funeral march, serious and unwavering. Listen for the low strings that gradually build up a sense of increased motion. A solo trumpet reinforces the grave mood before Mahler transitions to a more lyrical passage. The melody in the high strings morphs into something sweeter, then heartwrenching, then back to the intensity from before. About halfway through, the orchestra explodes in simultaneous ascending and descending melodies before backing off completely to a sweet flute solo with countermelodies in the horn, the oboe, and the strings. These mood swings continue throughout the movement, like the exemplification of grief and the stages that come with processing loss. This movement poses the question (from Mahler’s own program notes): “We are standing beside the coffin of a man beloved. For the last time, his battles, his suffering, and his purpose pass before the mind’s eye…What is life and what is death?” Mahler may have written this first movement as a sort of sequel to his Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” depicting the hero’s funeral.

2. A Simple Faith

Movement II (Andante Moderato) is a modified minuet that becomes a trio Ländler (a partner dance), which is a structure we see frequently in Mahler’s other symphonies. The Ländler has one main theme that repeats and compounds on itself to gather energy towards a frantic ending. It is obviously dancelike in some ways, graceful but also restless. This movement, like Movement I, teeters back and forth between lyrical material and more rhythmic passages, with each return of the lyrical section slightly varied from the last. The music here is a recollection of the “hero’s” memories of a sunlit past and the warmth of life before his suffering. The intertwining motifs and the bittersweet contrast to the first movement evoke nostalgia and suggest the fragility of joy and life itself.

3. A Glimmer of Hope

Mahler led Movement III with the German phrase “In ruhig fliessender Bewegung” which means “in peaceful flowing motion,” despite the turbulence heard immediately at the start of the movement. This Scherzo starts with loud timpani strokes, followed by an uninterrupted and intentionally monotonous double ostinato in the high and low voices. The third movement is shorter, and it seems to never stop moving forward, until out of nowhere, erupts a sudden “cry of despair” that rips apart the orchestra before the fragments piece themselves back together into a flowing melody. This movement contains musical material from a song from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn, songs based on German folk poems), though this somber context feels worlds away from the humor in the original song.

4. A Cry for Mercy

“Very solemn but simple” is how Movement IV is described. It is called “Urlicht” (Ancient or Primeval Light), and also takes some thematic material from another one of the folk songs in Des Knaben Wunderhorn. This movement is also where the singers finally get to participate, with a prayerful alto solo, sometimes accompanied by a solo violin. After the tormenting questions posed by Movement I and the uncertainty of the second, a solemn chorale starts to express this struggle of the human soul that Mahler has been exploring throughout the symphony. The audience catches a glimpse into what many believe the terrifying Day of Judgement to look like, but Mahler shifts to a different view: “There are no sinners, no just. None is great, none is small. There is no punishment and no reward. An overwhelming love lightens our being. We know and are” (Redlich, H.F: “Bruckner and Mahler”, 1963). The hymn-like brass chorale introduces what will eventually become the finale’s “resurrection” theme.

5. A Blissful Light

Movement V, which Mahler called a “bold piece of massive construction” is played in the same tempo as the Scherzo (Movement III). This movement is a third of the length of the entire symphony and contains ideas from each of the previous movements, reintroduced in variations in combination with new material and references to related material, like a brass treatment of the medieval Dies Irae­—the Latin hymn sung in a Mass for the dead. The finale perplexed Mahler for some time, and it was not until the funeral of Hans von Bülow (who criticized the first movement years before, pictured on the right), that the funeral choir sang Friedrich Klopstock’s Resurrection chorale and struck Mahler with the genius inspiration he had been waiting for. He combined the words from the poet with his own to form the structure of the concluding movement. Mahler said, “I had truly searched the entire world literature right to the Bible to find the redeeming word and was finally forced to express my feelings and thoughts in my own words.”

There is a new dimension in this movement, with off-stage trumpets, horns, and percussion, with a challenge between ominous and triumphant statements. The chorus enters, the soloists join, and the symphony finally reaches an enlightening conclusion that is unlike what most people have ever heard in a concert hall before. The sheer force of sound is breathtaking. This symphony is passionate and dynamic – there is always something new to listen for or a new feeling to uncover beneath the music.

Take every chance you can get to listen to Mahler’s genius “Resurrection” Symphony. Artistic & Music Director Alexander Shelley conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at 8pm on October 1-3, 2026, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, California with Pacific Chorale.

The Author:
Liz Butler is a writer and arts advocate who believes classical music becomes more meaningful when its stories are shared. Writing from her perspective as both a musician and a member of Pacific Symphony’s marketing team, she aims to make orchestral music approachable for new audiences while highlighting the educational, community, and artistic work that happens beyond the stage.